This invention relates to pedometers and, more particularly, to step-counting devices attached directly to a shoe.
The history of distance determination by counting the number of steps taken along a route can be traced back to the beginnings of recorded history. The statute mile, the common measure of substantial distances, is a direct descendant of the Roman military measure of 1,000 (mille) marching double-steps and its length of 5,280 feet records the commonly observed fact tht the average stride of an adult male is of the order of 30 inches, or 21/2 feet.
The prior art records many pedometers which have been developed to mechanize the counting of steps and relieve the walker of the need to keep track continuously of the distance travelled. Such pedometers, as they are commonly known, generally rely on a counter assembly attached to the shank of the user, or mounted on a walking stick. Wheeled distance measuring tools are also known and can be pushed or trailed by pedestrians, but they are inconvenient and in general use only for special purposes, such as the measurement of short distances by law enforcement agents investigating automobile accidents.
Leg-mounted pedometers, the type requiring the least effort by the user, are still bulky and heavy -- especially since they generally rely on a pendulum bob as the counting reference -- as well as unsightly. No device of the prior art enables the user to record his steps unobtrusively and without muscle effort.
It is, therefore, the primary object of the invention to provide a stepometer which can be directly attached to, or built into, the heel of a common walking shoe, and which utilizes motions and forces already integral to the walking process itself.
It is a further object of the invention to provide means for counting steps which will operate unobtrusively and which may be used in situations where the wearer wishes to conceal his effort at the measurement of distance.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a device for the counting of steps which utilizes conventional incremental counters as the recording unit, and which can be made, installed and used with the greatest economy and ease.